Hidden Angles and Lies
by Romaniasdoll
Summary: Loki approaches Steve one night, and tells him he can send him back to 1941, without a catch. But, Loki also sends the Avengers, too. Rated T for language, and Stony.


_"There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York. I gotta put her in the water."_

_"Please don't do this. W-we have time. We can work it out."_

_"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice... Peggy..."_

_"I'm here."_

_"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."_

_"All right. A week next Saturday at The Stork Club."_

_"You've got it."_

_"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"_

_"You know, I still don't know how to dance."_

_"I'll show you how. Just be there."_

_"We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your-" He never even felt the plane as it crashed into the ice. It just engulfed the plane, bringing it down, down father.._

Steve woke from his dream, sitting up in the darkness of the lush bedroom. Carefully, he rubbed his face and sat forward, shoulders hunched. The dim glow of the arc reactor in Tony's chest gave him enough light to see, along with the bright illumination of the alarm clock which read 4:23 A.M. Capt was always one to wake up early, anyway. He threw his muscled legs over the edge of the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping billionaire.

He headed down to the kitchen, hearing soft movements. The super solider walked in to see Dr. Banner up and making coffee. "Couldn't sleep?"

Bruce jumped slightly, then gave his signature shy smile.

"Yeah, my mind decided it wanted to keep running, thinking of new formulas for my experiments and such... Science, you know?" The solider gave a slight nod. With a long yawn, Steven sat himself at the table and closed his eyes. His pale cheek rested on a loosely made fist. The two sat in silence for a few minutes. "Do you miss it?" Bruce asked, after what seemed like an eternity. Steve did not reply, and Bruce began to assume he fell asleep, until he spoke.

"All the time."

The response was so quiet, the scientist barely heard it. It was just loud enough to be heard by his ears, though. Bruce nodded slightly and shifted his gaze downwards. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be... I chose to... do what I did."

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck, and picked up his coffee mug. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, Steve, I'm here. Tony's here, we all are. We care about you and we want you to be comfortable."

"Thank you, Bruce. It means a lot." With a nod, Banner left after hearing the response, giving a small 'good night,' before heading upstairs in the silent mansion the team resided in.

He stared at the dark ceiling, lost in thought. His heart was constantly aching from the pain. Everyone he knew and loved was gone. James, Howard, everyone... Peggy was still alive, in England, but...

His baby blue eyes closed, trying his hardest to keep the memories away. He didn't want the team to worry about him. Steve... he wasn't the priority. The world, that was the mission. To protect it and make sure no one got hurt as long as they were together.

Despite being asleep for almost seventy years, the emotional wounds were still fresh, and always would be. The technology, the deaths, the bullies from his childhood... They would forever follow him, a mockery of the past.

His eyes opened again, darting around the room. He could have just swore he heard something. Maybe it was just Thor. Loki had escaped several months ago, so he stayed on Earth to track him down..

A slim figure walked through the shadows, watching Steve. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the dark yet. Narrowing, he looked over. "Tony?" A pale blue light was coming from the chest, but it wasn't the reactor... It looked more like..

"If it isn't the Man Out of Time," Loki said, smugly and quietly. The soldier jumped up, backing away.

"Why are you here?" He growled, hitting the count. Loki gave a small chuckle and dropped his staff.

"I have a great proposition for you, Steven."

He stared for a moment, inspecting the evil god who had tried to take over the world only half a year ago. Jaw tight, he glanced away. "I don't make deals with criminals."

"What if I could send you back?"

His eyes snapped back, looking for any sign of a lie from the trickster. "I wouldn't believe you." Somewhere, deep down, he believed though. He's seen what Loki is capable of.

The raven haired got let out another short chuckle. "I am the God of Lies, so I see straight through that little fallacy, Mr. Rogers. For once, I am not lying. I have seen how you react to others and the new Midgardian technology over these past few weeks. Do you not long to be back into your natural time?" Throat dry, Steve couldn't help but nod his blonde head. "Precisely. Now, would you like my help?"

"What's the catch?" He asked silently, after a few moments.

"Why, there is none." His voice was light, hypnotizing. It drew Steve in. "Now, answer my question."

"Yes."

A flash of blue lit up the entire house.


End file.
